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La Fonda on the Plaza September 2015 Email Newsletter

Come Take the Tour!

We are incredibly lucky to have a team of dedicated volunteers who are so enamored with the history of Santa Fe—as reflected in every tile and beam in La Fonda—that they helped us put together our own one-hour walking tour of art and history highlights of La Fonda. Together with our staff, the docents spent months researching and rehearsing how to demonstrate, through the features of La Fonda, the evolution of Santa Fe Style.

Sandra Smith is one of our lead docents, and she gives a great tour! She really opened my eyes to how the hotel’s history gives guests a richer experience when staying here. Sandra encouraged us to look more closely at everything from the carved bas-relief tiles in the Santa Fe room to the paintings on the walls, and showed us historic photos of how certain areas used to look—like when La Plazuela was an open courtyard filled with elegant Victorian travelers. I thought she did an especially great job of pointing out how our 2013 renovation followed the aesthetic of our iconic 1920s architect and designer, Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter.

Sandra told me guests are often “wowed” by what they learn, and eagerly jump in with their own bits of lore. Her enthusiasm for La Fonda is so contagious, it renewed my pride in being part of such an important institution. I encourage all of you, on your next stay with us, to sign up with the concierge for one of the three weekly tours. Each docent puts a slightly different twist on his or her tour, but they all have a wealth of information to share. I would not be surprised to see the tour evolve into a modern-day Fred Harvey adventure!

Guitarist Don Curry and keyboardist Pete Springer have been playing music together for a decade, and recently picked up a new drummer, Ron Crowder. Veteran musicians all, the guys return to the music they grew up on as C.S. Rockshow, playing classic hits from the Stones, Beatles, and Doors, Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan, Santana, and others that most boomers know by heart.

Playing midweek at La Fiesta Lounge in August, Don Curry said one couple came two nights in a row, because they so missed hearing rock ‘n’ roll live—and they had just moved here from L.A.! “That’s a niche we’ve carved out for ourselves,” he said. Known for their tight vocal harmonies (all three sing lead), the band makes older audiences nostalgic for a time when musicians could really sing and play. “There are a lot of them that like to dance,” Curry noted—even some of the kids under 40.

Catch C.S. Rockshow at La Fiesta Lounge on Sept. 2 and 3, and check the schedule for their dates in October.

The weather is that perfect blend of warm days and cool nights; chilies are roasting at every corner; the harvest is in, and your main conflict is which event to hit next. Start off by tossing your troubles in the flames at the annual Burning of Zozobra (Sept. 4) at Fort Marcy Park. Then catch a unique cultural display during the Fiestas de Santa Fe, a weekend of revelry and pageantry (Sept. 11-13) in and around the Plaza that includes the Mariachi Matinee, two shows at the Lensic that showcase traditional New Mexico music (Sept. 9).

Chilies are, of course, the stars of every harvest festival, including the one at El Rancho de las Golondrinas (Oct. 3), where you can string chile ristras and crush wine grapes with your feet. The hot peppers get top billing at their very own annual Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta (Sept. 23-27), where chefs prepare special meals that honor the state’s great agricultural products. The fiesta culminates in the Grand Tasting (Sept. 26) at the opera house, featuring tastes from 80 restaurants and 100 wineries. Among the week’s wine dinners, La Plazuela will feature wines from J. Lohr (Sept. 23). Make your reservations early by calling 505-995-2316. One of the hottest events (pun intended) is the Gran Fondo bike ride (Sept. 27) along the High Road to Taos, spiced up by gourmet food stops and a champagne finish. There’s also the Gruet Golf Classic, pairing sparkling wines with food from a different restaurant at every third hole.

You can ogle exotic cars at the annual Santa Fe Concorso (Sept. 25-27) at The Club at Las Campanas, where more than 100 rare and exotic vehicles will be on display. The focus this year will be on Ferraris, Harley Earl’s 1951 LeSabre, and Bill Mitchell’s 1959 Cadillac Cyclone. Or take your own wheels for a view of Northern New Mexico’s fall colors during various studio tours, including the High Road Art Tour (Sept. 19-20, 26-27), Abiquiu Studio Tour (Oct. 10-12), and Galisteo Studio Tour (Oct. 17-18). You might find yourself in Taos during the Big Barndance Music Festival (Sept. 10-12) at Kit Carson Park, which draws two-steppers from around the Southwest.

The weather is perfect for runners, and the Santa Fe Thunder road race in and around Pojoaque (Sept. 20) supports programs for youth in Kenya and Mexico’s Copper Canyon. For a madder dash, head on over to the Santa Fe Color Vibe 5K Run at the Santa Fe County Fairgrounds (Sept. 5), and fling harmless colored powders at competitors.

If no vacation is complete without your best furry friend, treat your pup to a night on the town at the Barkin’ Ball (Oct. 9) at the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market. It’s an annual benefit for the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society, a state-of-the-art adoption center and rescue that operates in conjunction with Santa Fe County.

Feminist journalist Katha Pollitt will discuss her new book on abortion rights with radio host Julia Goldberg (Sept. 12), preceded by a benefit dinner at the Santa Fe School of Cooking. And African American poet Elizabeth Alexander will read and speak about her work at the Lensic (Sept. 30).

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival (Sept. 12) returns to Santa Fe to showcase the nation’s best environmental and outdoor films. Also coming up is the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival (Oct. 14-18), where the lineup is still evolving—check back for entries and ticket information. If you’re a Game of Thrones junkie, the Jean Cocteau Cinema will screen a burlesque tribute to George R.R. Martin that was approved by the man himself, Burlesque is Coming: Game of Thrones (Sept. 14-15). The considerably more orthodox National Theatre Live in HD will present Hamlet with Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role (Oct. 30).

Some intriguing performance art is coming to town, starting with Miles Allen of Los Angeles doing his aural collage of the Breaking Bad characters at the Lensic (Sept. 10). SITE Santa Fe is presenting Dario Robleto, who has performed at art museums nationwide, in Pulse Armed With a Pen: An Unknown History of the Human Heartbeat, at San Miguel Chapel (Sept. 22). And Albuquerque’s Fusion Theatre company will perform the Pulitzer Prize-winning Disgraced from 2013, about Islam and racial identity in America (Sept. 26).

Dance fans will enjoy it when Twyla Tharp’s 50th anniversary tour makes a stop at the Lensic with a double billing of premieres (Sept. 22). And contemporary choreographer Mark Morris brings his dance troupe to the Lensic on Oct. 27.

The classical music season is off to a rousing start with accomplished recording artist Doug Montgomery joining the Santa Fe Symphony Joplin Ensemble (Sept. 13) at the Lensic in a benefit show. Santa Fe Pro Musica opens its 34th season with the chamber music ensemble Opus One at the Lensic (Sept. 18-20). The Santa Fe Symphony opens its season with an all-star show: guest conductor Guillermo Figueroa, violinist Itamar Zorman, and pianist Olga Kern at the Lensic (Sept. 27), followed by their fall tribute to Mozart and Schubert (Oct. 18).

World music dominates the contemporary music calendar this fall, possibly through the influence of Albuquerque’s annual İGlobalquerque! festival of world music (Sept. 25-26), one of the nation’s best. Ukraine’s DakhaBrakha brings to Skylight Santa Fe what it calls “ethno chaos” Eastern European roots music (Sept. 13). Classical tabla player Zakir Hussain joins bassist Dave Holland, South Indian vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, Louiz Banks, and guitarist Amit Chatterjee in an evening of Indian jazz (Oct. 9), while the renited Cumbia All Stars from Peru add a touch of modern-day psychedia to the ancient folk genre (Oct. 12). A number of world music bands are playing free concerts this fall, including the world’s only heavy-metal mariachi band, Metalachi, Sept. 7 at the Railyard Plaza. Master African drummers come together at the Wassa Wassa African Drum Festival at the Railyard Performance Center (Sept. 10-13), and Beirut, which got its start here in New Mexico, is playing a free concert at the Santa Fe Bandstand (Oct. 4) to celebrate the release of a new CD.

As far as big-name bands, Counting Crows comes to the Downs at Santa Fe (Sept. 17); jazz master Wynton Marsalis brings the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to the Lensic (Sept. 29); Joan Armatrading performs a solo concert at the Lensic (Oct. 13) and true-blue fans probably won’t flinch at traveling south of Albuquerque to see the Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band (Oct. 7) or Latin dreamboat Ricky Martin on his One World tour (Sept. 24).

That’s not all. The Bright Light Social Hour, which took home six awards at South by Southwest in 2011, plays the Skylight (Sept. 15), and the Las Vegas standard-bearers Santa Fe & The Fat City Horns makes its debut appearance in its namesake city at the Lensic (Sept. 24), where bandleader Jerry Lopez plays a program of New Mexico music the following night. Also free to the public is a double billing of singer-songwriter Joe Ely and Grammy Award-winning band The Mavericks (Sept. 19), part of St. Vincent’s Hospital 150th anniversary celebration, which begins with a benefit cocktail party and catered dinner at the Palace of the Governors.